Illinois football banking on fresh start

Vic Koenning made a lot of friends as Illinois defensive coordinator the past two seasons. If it wasn’t his home-spun stories or folksy Oklahoma drawl, it was Koenning’s work taking one of the worst defenses in the nation to one of the best. When he left for a similar position at North Caro...

By JOHN SUPINIE

Journal Star

By JOHN SUPINIE

Posted Apr. 5, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 5, 2012 at 4:03 AM

By JOHN SUPINIE

Posted Apr. 5, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 5, 2012 at 4:03 AM

CHAMPAIGN

Vic Koenning made a lot of friends as Illinois defensive coordinator the past two seasons.

If it wasn’t his home-spun stories or folksy Oklahoma drawl, it was Koenning’s work taking one of the worst defenses in the nation to one of the best. When he left for a similar position at North Carolina, he also left a tough act to follow.

But first-year Illini defensive coordinator Tim Banks didn’t blink.

“We respect what’s done in the past,’’ Banks said. “We understand that this has no bearing on what we do moving forward.

“I’ll be honest. I’ve not given (following Koenning) much thought. Coach Beckman and myself, we stand on our own resume. Every year is different.’’

If there’s a guy under the microscope more than Tim Beckman, it’s Banks, the former Cincinnati defensive coordinator who was Beckman’s third choice. Beckman first offered Koenning the co-coordinator job, then boosted it to coordinator. After Koenning left, Jon Tenuta took the job, then returned to North Carolina State the following day.

It’s a transition for everyone after Koenning lifted Illinois from 91st nationally in total defense in 2009 the year before he arrived to 38th in his first season and seventh last year. The Illini were the second-ranked defense in the Big Ten Conference in a 7-6 season.

“We loved coach Vic,’’ Buchanan said. “It was hard to see him go. Coach Banks has come in, and all the guys love him. It’s a different world.

“Coach Vic would try to get his message across through a story. With coach Banks, he’s more about the stats and how we’re doing on defense.’’

Under Banks, Cincinnati jumped from 39th to sixth in rushing defense last season and 21 spots to 42nd overall. The Bearcats led the nation in tackles for a loss a year ago.

Banks wanted the Illini to concentrate on two numbers — turnovers and wins.

“At the end of the day, we’ll be judged on wins and losses,’’ Banks said. “We want to play good enough to win. We want to take the New England Patriots’ mindset. Every year is a new year. We’re starting from scratch. To be fair, it’s great to have experience coming back. The great teams worry about how many games you won. That’s what we’re trying to push.’’

Meanwhile, Illinois will attempt to improve after standing 59th last season with 22 turnovers forced.

“We were a really good defense last year,’’ Buchanan said. “One thing we didn’t do a lot, we didn’t get a lot of turnovers. We were on the field a lot of the time. I feel like one of the biggest improvements is how many turnovers we get.’’

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Don’t expect to see much else different from the Memorial Stadium bleachers. The Illini will employ a scheme with a flexible front, shifting from a 4-3 to a 3-4. It’s just a change in terminology. Buchanan’s position changes from the bandit to the leo. The hybrid safety/linebacker slot is the star.

“We’re not changing a lot,’’ Banks said. “We’re going to be aggressive. We have a strong defensive line. We have some good experience in the back end. Based on what they did last year, it will look fairly similar.’’

Just like the coaches, the players are busy showing what they can do.

“It’s a new staff,’’ Brown said. “Everybody has to prove themselves. What you did before doesn’t matter. What you did yesterday doesn’t matter. You make a new start everyday.’’

NOTES: Cornerback Terry Hawthorne will get snaps at wide receiver. . . Brown has played both linebacker spots in the spring. Safety Supo Sanni is done for the spring after an Achilles injury. He ruptured his right Achilles in 2010. ... The spring game is April 14. ... Sophomore running back Donovonn Young was expected to get five to 10 snaps during a live scrimmage Friday after returning from a broken foot suffered in winter conditioning.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnSupinie.